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Master of Education in Teacher Leadership

Available Online or On Campus in the Kansas City Area

The Master of Education degree in Teacher Leadership, which contains four strands, began in October 1995, becoming the first graduate program in the School for Education.  The degree is designed to meet the practical needs of the classroom teacher, and uses a praxis model that ties theory and practice together, in each course. The program strives to develop reflective educators who can be change agents in the lives of their students, in their school and communities, and culminates with two capstone courses: Critical Reflections Seminar and Action Practicum, or by completion of the Thesis Option.

The degree requires twenty-one hours of core courses and fifteen hours of electives, which are specific to the student's selected strand.

Admission Requirements

  • A Bachelor's degree in education from regionally accredited institution, or hold a valid state teaching certificate (applicant must provide copy of certificate).
  • Minimum 3.0 cumulative grade point average (GPA) on a 4.00 scale.
  • with a cumulative GPA between 2.75 and 3.0 may be considered for admission, if they provide one of the following:
    • Four (4) years successful employment experience (letter of recommendation from supervisor based on good evaluations).
    • An acceptable GRE score for verbal and quantitative tests.
    • Meet or exceed the state field test mean score on the area test of the National Teacher's Exam.
    • Optional professional portfolio (to be evaluated by two full-time Teacher Education faculty members)
  • Be officially admitted to the School for Education.

*An applicant who has been denied admission to a graduate education program may appeal the decision to the Committee for Selection, Admission, Retention, and Appeals (CSARA). The appeal shall be submitted in writing to the Chair of the CSARA using the appropriate appeal form. Documentation supporting the appeal must accompany the appeal form where applicable. Additional information related to the appeals process may be obtained from the School for Education office.


Format of Courses

Courses in the Master of Education program are offered in an online, as well as face-to-face, format. This degree can be completed face-to-face, online, or by combining face-to-face courses with online courses.

Curriculum

Curriculum
Hours
Core Courses:
21
ED 515 Sociological Factors Affecting Education
3
ED 516 Introduction to Graduate Research
3
ED 532 Teaching & Learning: Theory into Practice
3
ED 606 Curriculum Theory and Practice
3
ED 608 Assessment
3
ED 629 Critical Reflections Seminar
3
ED 630 Action Practicum
3
Electives
15
Elective hours may be selected from any available graduate level education courses.
Total Hours
36

Thesis Option

With the approval of the Program Director, interested and capable students may elect the thesis option, to replace ED 629 and ED 630. The six-credit thesis option provides students with the opportunity to explore a topic in-depth, by applying an appropriate research methodology.

Students electing the thesis option shall adhere to the requirements set forth in the Graduate School's Master's Thesis Procedures, described above. Additional information about writing a thesis may be found in the Standards and Procedures Manual, accessible through the Graduate School website.

Required Coursework: 6 hrs.*
ED  700  Thesis - Research
and Proposal Development
(Offered in 16 week format) 		3 hrs.
ED 701 Thesis - Research
(Offered in 16 week format)		 3 hrs.
ED 799 Thesis - Continuous Enrollment
(Offered in 16 week format)
 1 hr.

* Please note: A maximum of six thesis hours may be counted toward degree requirements. Students electing the thesis option will not take ED 629 and ED 630.

Undergraduate Credit

A limited number of courses at the 400 level may be taken for graduate elective credit if eligible for graduate credit and with the permission of the graduate advisor or Program Director.

Graduation Requirements

  • Successful completion of 36 credit hours, with no grade lower than a "C," in the required courses, with a cumulative GPA of 3.00 or higher
  • See Academic Policies - Graduation Requirements for more information.
  • An Application for Graduation is required before a completion statement is posted to the transcript. Application for Graduation is available online at www.park.edu/graduation. Students must return the completed form with the appropriate fee.

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